From architecture to community: Adaptive reuse as a social practice

This talk brings forward the idea of adaptive reuse as a social practice able to connect fragmented communities and actively contribute towards their consolidation.
It demonstrates how skills and competences from the academic realm can impact positively on community engagement and a sense of belonging.
Kilburn Lab - a project led by Francesca Murialdo with Naomi House, Jason Scoot, Michael Westthorp, and Gareth Williams – comprises of a series of collaborative projects with local stakeholders to explore the future of the area.
As educators in Higher Education Institutions, we are involved in Teaching and Learning and Research activities and in what is defined as the 3rd mission – the commitment for higher education institutions to “contribute to society”.
This speech brings together some considerations, methodologies and practices that – from the discipline of interior design/architecture – expand to other fields to better respond to social changes.
I discuss the agency of spatial design as an interdisciplinary space able to mediate between different stakeholders – and propose a shared vision of the future world.